Conductor transposing apparatus



y 16, 1967 D. F. WINTER ETAL CONDUCTOR TRANSPOSING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 14, 1965 FIGJ.

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May 16, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14, 1965 'IUHHII United States Patent 3,319,412 CONDUCTOR TRANSPOSHNG APPARATUS David F. Winter, Kirkwood, and Thomas E. Gill, St.

Louis, Mo., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Central Transformer Corporation, Pine Blufi, Ark, a corporation of Arkansas Filed June 14, 1965, Ser. No. 463,506 Claims. (Cl. 57-59) This invention relates to improved apparatus for transposing conductors being drawn from respective reels to form a cable and more particularly to such apparatus including means for preventing chafing of the conductors by the reels.

In the manufacture of windings for high power transformers, it is desirable that the heavier coils or cables be made up of a plurality of individual insulated conductors which are regularly transposed in position so that eddy current losses are reduced. In order to provide a favorable space factor or utilization of the volume available for the winding, it is preferable that both the component conductors and the composite cable be of rectangular construction. This latter requisite leads to the requirement that the transposition of conductors be accomplished without twisting the individual conductors.

In prior art devices for manipulating reels of conductor in order to transpose the various conductors being drawn together to form a cable, the reels have been supported on yokes which were pivotally mounted at spaced circumferential positions around a wheel. The movement of the yokes with respect to the wheel is controlled, by appropriate gearing or gravity, so that the axes of the reels were kept always parallel to each other. With such an arrangement, however, the converging directions of conductor payoff can cause damage to the insulation due to chafing of the conductors against the sides of their respective reels.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of novel conductor transposing apparatus in which chafing of the conductors against their respective reels is prevented; the provision of such apparatus in which the individual conductors are not twisted during transposition thereof; the provision of such apparatus in which the axis of each reel is maintained substantially perpendicular to the instantaneous direction of payoff of conductor from that reel; and the provision of such apparatus which is simple and reliable and which is of rugged and troublefree construction. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

According to one aspect of the invention, conductors are drawn from respective reels along converging paths to form a cable. A wheel is mounted for rotation around an axis passing substantially through the point toward which the conductors are drawn. The wheel is provided with means for pivotally mounting the reels at spaced circumferential positions and for maintaining the axes of the reels always parallel to a preselected plane which is parallel to the axis of the wheel thereby to prevent twisting of the conductors as the wheel rotates. The mounting means further includes means responsive to rotation of the wheel for oscillating each reel to maintain the reel axis substantially perpendicular to the respective instantaneous direction of conductor payoff.

The invention accordingly comprises the apparatus hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIG. .1 is a top plan view of cable transposing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a view taken substantially on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view, with parts broken away, of a reel mount employed in the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a view taken substantially on the line 44 of FIG. 2.

Cor-responding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawlngS.

Referring now to the drawings, a plurality of reels 11- 16, each holding a supply of an individual insulated conductor, are pivotally mounted on a wheel 17 as described in greater detail hereinafter. In the making of a multiconductor cable, individual conductors 21-26 are drawn from the respective reels on converging paths toward a point which lies substantially on the axis of wheel 17. At this point the conductors are combined or stacked according to a predetermined pattern by conventional apparatus (not shown) in a pattern which reduces distributed capacitance and eddy cur-rent effects. Apparatus for combining the conductors as they meet is disclosed in U.S. Patents 2,249,509 and 3,000,406. To permit the conductors to be periodically transposed in the pattern or stacking arrangement, the wheel 17 is rotated so that each of the conductors 21-26 can occupy each of the stack positions in turn. To permit this rotation, wheel 17 is mounted, by means of radial struts 27, on a shaft 29 which is journalled for rotation in suitable supports (not shown).

Each of the reels 11-16 is supported on an axle 31 in a yoke 33. Each of the yokes 33 is in turn mounted on a vertical pivot pin 35 which is held by a fork 37. The forks 37 are in turn mounted on shafts 39 which are journalled in bearings 41 mounted at spaced circumferential points around wheel 17. On the opposite end of each shaft 39'from the fork 37 is a crank 43. Each of the cranks 43 includes a crank throw 45 which is journalled in a heavy, pendulous ring 47 which is of substantially the same diameter as wheel 17. Because of its own weight, ring 47 hangs below wheel 17 and rotates about an axis below and parallel to the axis of wheel 17, thus keeping each of the cranks 43 pointed in a downward direction. Lateral swinging of ring 47 on the cranks 43 is further prevented by idler rollers 51 which are mounted on a suitable support stand 53.

A cylindrical guide or cam 61-66 is mounted on wheel 17 around each shaft 39 on the side of the wheel 17 toward the respective fork 37. Essentially, each of these cams is a right circular cylinder which has been cut on a bias to the cylinder axis. Each of the cams 61-66 is positioned on wheel 17 so that the inclined cam surface faces the point towards which the various conductors 21-26 are drawn. In other words, the plane of the cam face is substantially perpendicular to the direction of conductor payoff from the respective reel. Since the point toward which the component conductors are drawn lies substantially on the axis of rotation of wheel 17, the cam surfaces will remain facing that point even though the wheel 17 rotates.

Each of the yokes 33 carries a cam follower 69 which is constituted by a pair of rollers 71 and 73. Rollers 71 and 73 rotate on a shaft 75 which is mounted on each yoke 33 parallel to the respective reel axle 31. Rollers 71 and 73 are spaced by a tubular section 77 and bear against the inclined surface of the respective cam 61-66.

The operation of this apparatus is as follows. As the wheel 17 rotates in transposing the various conductors 21-26, the ring 47 keeps each of the cranks 43 extending in a downwardly direction and thus prevents rotation of the respective shaft 39. Accordingly, each of the fork pins 35 is held in a vertical direction, i.e., perpendicular to a preselected horizontal plane, and the reel axles 31 remain horizontal, that is, the axes of the reels are always maintained parallel to the preselected horizontal plane.

The cams 61-66, being mounted on wheel 17, will rotate therewith. As the cams rotate, they will oscillate the respective cam follower 69 and the attached reel yoke 33 around the vertical pivot pin 35. As each inclined cam face always faces the point toward which the various conductors are drawn, the respective cam follower 69 and the respective reel axle will thereby be maintained perpendicular to the instantaneous direction of conductor payoff from the respective reel. The positions which the cams and the various reels assume at the various positions around the wheel 17 can be seen in FIG. 1 and it may be noted that, since the conductors 21-26 are payed off respective reels on paths which are perpendicular to the reel axes, chafing of the conductors on the sides of the reels and insulation damage are prevented.

It should be noted that more than one wheel such as wheel 17 may be mounted on a single axle 29 and that the conductors drawn from the earlier stages can pass through the successive wheels without tangling since all of the wheels will rotate together. While cams have been shown for maintaining the desired orientation of the reels during wheel rotation, it should be understood that other means such as eccentrics or angled shafts may also be used as equivalents which are known to those skilled in the art. Similarly, while a pendulous ring has been shown as partof the means for preventing the twisting of the individual conductors, planetary gearing, chain drives or other means may also be used. In the illustrated embodiment, the reel axes are maintained parallel to a preselected plane which is horizontal. However, the reel axes may be maintained substantially parallel to preselected planes in other attitudes, such as vertical, as may be desirable under particular circumstances.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for transposing conductors being drawn from respective reels to form a cable without twisting individual conductors comprising:

a wheel mounted for rotation around an axis which passes substantially through the point towards which said conductors are drawn; and

means for pivotally mounting a plurality of reels on said wheel at spaced circumferential positions, said mounting means including means for maintaining the axes of reels so mounted always substantially parallel to a preselected plane as said wheel rotates, said preselected plane being parallel to the axis of said wheel, said mounting means further including a pivotal connection permitting each reel to be swung around an axis which is maintained substantially perpendicular to said preselected plane, and a cam and cam follower for controlling the swinging of said reel around said pivotal connection as a predetermined function of the angular position of said wheel in response to rotation of said wheel for oscillating each reel to maintain the reel axis substantially perpendicular to the direction of payoff of conductor from each respective reel whereby chafing of said conductor on the sides of said reel is avoided.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which the mounting means for each reel further includes a yoke for holding the reel and in which each cam follower is attached to a respective yoke and its respective cam is attached to said wheel substantially at a respective one of said circumferential positions.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 in which the mounting means further includes a shaft journalled in said wheel at each of said circumferential positions, each yoke being attached to a respective one of said shafts by said pivotal connection.

4. Apparatus for transposing conductors being drawn from respective reels to form a cable without twisting individual conductors comprising:

a wheel mounted for rotation around an axis which passes substantially through the point towards which said conductors are drawn;

a plurality of shafts journalled in said wheel at spaced circumferential positions;

means for preventing rotation of said shafts as ,said

wheel rotates;

a plurality of yokes for holding conductor reels;

a pivotal connection between each said yoke and a respective shaft permitting said yoke to swing around an axis which is maintained, by said rotation preventing means, perpendicular to a preselected stationary plane which is substantially parallel to the wheel axis, the axes of reels held in said yokes being thereby maintained substantially parallel to said plane;

a cylindrical cam attached to said wheel concentrically with each of said shafts; and

a pair of cam followers attached to each of said yokes for engagement with the respective cam for controlling the swinging of the yoke about the pivotal connection, said cams being shaped to maintain the respective reel axes perpendicular to the instantaneous direction of conductor payoff whereby chafing of the conductors on the sides of the respective reels is avoided.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said rotation preventing means includes a crank on each of said shafts and a pendulous ring into which the crank throws are journalled.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,234,996 3/1941 Welch et al 5759 FOREIGN PATENTS 719,050 11/1931 France. 293,466 11/ 1928 Great Britain.

989,754 4/1965 Great Britain.

FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

STANLEY N. GILREATH, Examiner.

W. S. BURDEN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR TRANSPOSING CONDUCTORS BEING DRAWN FROM RESPECTIVE REELS TO FORM A CABLE WITHOUT TWISTING INDIVIDUAL CONDUCTORS COMPRISING: A WHEEL MOUNTED FOR ROTATION AROUND AN AXIS WHICH PASSES SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGH THE POINT TOWARDS WHICH SAID CONDUCTORS ARE DRAWN; AND MEANS FOR PIVOTALLY MOUNTING A PLURALITY OF REELS ON SAID WHEEL AT SPACED CIRCUMFERENTIAL POSITIONS, SAID MOUNTING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE AXES OF REELS SO MOUNTED ALWAYS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO A PRESELECTED PLANE AS SAID WHEEL ROTATES, SAID PRESELECTED PLANE BEING PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID WHEEL, SAID MOUNTING MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING A PIVOTAL CONNECTION PERMITTING EACH REEL TO BE SWUNG AROUND AN AXIS WHICH IS MAINTAINED SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PRESELECTED PLANE, AND A CAM AND CAM FOLLOWER FOR CONTROLLING THE SWINGING OF SAID REEL AROUND SAID PIVOTAL CONNECTION AS A PREDETERMINED FUNCTION OF THE ANGULAR POSITION OF SAID WHEEL IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION OF SAID WHEEL FOR OSCILLATING EACH REEL TO MAINTAIN THE REEL AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF PAYOFF OF CONDUCTOR FROM EACH RESPECTIVE REEL WHEREBY CHAFING OF SAID CONDUCTOR ON THE SIDES OF SAID REEL IS AVOIDED. 